Korea has a problem with celebrity suicides. The last one has caused an earthquake and sunk to a star

He February 16 They found in their house in Seoul the lifeless body of Kim Sae-Rona 24 -year -old interpreter who had become famous for his papers for Netflix and Disney+. It was a friend who discovered the body and alerted the police. Kim was alone. There were no clues to suggest murder. No signs of violence. Nor were health problems. What did drag were dark years, claims of payments, harassment in the networks and the shadow of a scandal that sank his career.

From A first moment Police handled the case as a suicide. The tragic death of Kim Sae-Ron has however raised a huge dust that touches several sensitive issues in South Korea: Suicideonline harassment to celebrities, Hypercompetivitygender inequality and relationships marked by the age difference, something that is now taking its toll (in the literal sense) To one of the greatest celebrities of South Korea, the actor Kim Soo-Hyun.

A tragedy … and an earthquake

Around what happened in the apartment of Kim Sae-Ron before one of his friends found it, a month ago, there are few doubts. “We believe it made an extreme decision and planned to handle it as suicide,” I recognized Shortly after the body lifting the Seoul Police. Without great doubts about that particular, the great question that remained throwing was, why? What led an actress of only 24 years to take “An extreme decision”?

For Kim’s father there are few doubts. The same day of funeral He pointed to a YouTuber with more than 620,000 subscribers that basically dedicate gossip on celebrities. In one of the many incisive pieces that he dedicated to Kim, the influencer He made fun for example that the actress had been forced to work in a cafeteria. Moreover, he even accused her of being a paripé to get attention. “His videos caused him a deep anguish,” remember The father of the actress. After suicide, the Youtuber just eliminated the contents.

In the case of Kim there are however much (a lot) more cloth than cut. Throughout the last month it has transcended more information that helps to understand how its last years of life passed. Some was already public domain. Another not so much. Among the first, what was already known, is The incident He starred several years ago for driving under the influence of alcohol.

In 2022, in an episode that soon attracted the attention of the media, Kim crashed into a railing and an electric transformer for drunk driving. The consequence: a small blackout, A fine of 13,000 euros… And something else, a irreparable damage In his image that seemed to precipitate the end of his career.

That same year the Gold Medalist and Kim agency They did not renew his contract and It is counted That the producers came to edit (or directly eliminate) scenes in which the young woman appeared, such as ‘Bloodhounds’, released in 2023. Whether or not, the truth is that Kim, who debuted as a model being still a baby and achieved her first leading role with only eight years, saw how her career was truncated from night to morning. Just a year ago he tried to return to the stage with a role in a theater play, but he retired claiming “Health problems”.

The 2022 accident with alcohol in between, satirical videos and the withdrawal in extremis of 2024 were made known; But they are just a part of the chronicle of Jim Sae-Ron. Another circumstance that has aroused much more interest in South Korea is its relationship with Kim Soo-Hyun, A 37 year old actor Famous in the country (and outside) for its papers in ‘Queen of Tears’ or ‘One Ordinary Day’.

Around the alleged romance there are many shadows among other reasons for how the controversial actor himself and the agency that represents him has managed, the same one that worked in his day with Kim Sae-Ron. According to India todayIn 2024 the company denied that such a relationship existed for amending shortly after.

The truth is that I know They have disseminated photos in which you can supposedly see both young people In affectionate attitude and about him Affair The YouTube channel have been spoken Garosero Resarch Institute and (more importantly) the Sae-Ron family. The Korean press has not escaped a detail that lends itself to different interpretations: Sae-Ron decided to take his life on the same day of Soo-Hyun’s birthday, although the relationship between the two would have ended long ago.

And why is it important? For several reasons. The main is that, As he has denounced The aunt of the deceased actress, the relationship between Sae-Ron and Kim Soo-Hyun began when she was 15 years old and he 27. Until 2023 the age of legal consent in Korea It was 13 yearsalthough later he rose at 16. The age of majority is in any case in the 19th. The perspective between a famous 27-year-old actor and a 15-year-old teenager has generated an intense stir in South Korea, shaking the debate and placing in the eye of the hurricane to Soo-Hyun.

Kim Sae-Ron’s family has greatly influenced the subject and has even apologized to the actor. “We ask Kim Soo-Hyun who admits to have left with SAE-Ron when he was a minor and It apologizes publicly. We also demand an apology from your agency, which has denied the relationship for the past three years and even reiterated this denial just three days ago, ” demand.

Around the case there is also another key and it is the role of the Gold Medalist agency, whose link with SAE-Ron was cut years ago but still linked to Soo-Hyun. The reason is simple: in recent weeks the support he gave to the actress has been questioned, after the 2022 scandal, and the pressure he exerted for demand reimbursement of 700 million wones, equivalent to about 440,000 euros.

The agency He has already responded Speaking of “invented and unacceptable accusations and denounces the propagation of” malicious falsehoods. “

From stardom to “hell”

What is clear is that the controversy is evidently affecting to the image of Kim Soo-Hyun, wearing it and subtracting sponsorships. In record time, until recently popular South Korean star has seen how They moved away from him or directly canceled their advertising contracts several Korean and foreign brands: Dount, Prada, Eider, Homeplus, Tous les jours … in some cases with Rounding messages by advertisers.

“We have determined that there are founded reasons that make the fulfillment of the advertising contract unfeasible. This decision was made to defend the values ​​that represents a diameter and honor the confidence of our consumers,” explained the Cosmetics brand based in Seoul in Seoul The statement in which he announced the cancellation of his advertising contract with SOO-HYUN.

The Dimsum Daily newspaper It goes further and assures That in just over a week the Korean actor has lost almost a million followers on Instagram, which gives a clear clue of how his image has changed among his legion of Fanes.

The case of Kim Sae-Ron (and that of Kim Soo-Hyun) is interesting for another reason: connects with some of the more sensitive debates In Korea. In a way it connects with the Hypercompetitiveness Among the celebrities of the country, its public exposure, harassment, imbalance in relations (in this case with a minor in between) and the inequality of treatment of men and women.

In recent months there are few The analysts They have pointed out that the 2022 incident could have had a different effect if sae-ron were male. The singer Kanginthe politician Lee Jae-Myung or the actor Lee Jung-Jaefamous for their role in ‘The squid game’, they have been involved in similar cases without a priori the damage for their races so radical like the one suffered by Kim.

Sae-Ron is also the nth case of a Celebrity South Korean who ends up taking his life in a stage marked by the pressures. Before, K-Pop icons or cinema, such as Sulli, Goo Hara, Read Sun-Kyun either Song Jae-Limamong others. “In the case of Kim, he suffered depression due to the constant attacks he received from the media and YouTube,” Kwon Young-chan commentspsychologist.

The truth is that in a country that already has A suicide problems Base has even created a specific association aimed at celebrities, Korea Celebrity Suicide Prevention Associationwhich has been fully involved in the case of Kim.

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